TAMPA, Fla. (May 28, 2022) – The 20th-ranked Rollins baseball team put on a dominant performance on Saturday, ousting second-ranked Tampa from the NCAA II Tournament with a 13-6 victory, earning the Tars the South Super Regional crown and with it, a trip to the NCAA II College World Series. Rollins will head to Cary, North Carolina next weekend for the tournament with a 40-15 record, while the Spartans end their season at 44-13.
The Tars put on an offensive show, with 10 different Tars scoring a run, including
Joey Rubin, who was 4-for-6 with two runs and two RBIs.
Jeslyn Whitehead finished 3-for-4 with a walk, a run scored, and two RBIs, while
Adams Torres was 2-for-6 with a double, a run scored, and three runs batted in.
Jared Herron went 2-for-5 with a home run, two runs scored, and two RBIs, and
Chase Achuff was 2-for-5 with a run scored.
Justin Alintoff (7-5) earned the win, giving up just two runs on seven hits in 7.2 innings of work, walking three and striking out six.
Dan Sullivan was 2-for-5 with a home run, two runs scored, and three RBIs for the Spartans, while Jordan Lala finished 3-for-4 with a double and two runs scored. Hayden Erbe (12-2) took the loss, allowing four runs on eight hits in 4.2 innings, walking three and striking out five.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Second Inning
- Ryan Coleman opened the second with a base hit, which was followed by a back-to-back strikeouts.
- Rubin helped get the two-out rally going with a single, and Achuff followed with an infield single to load the bases.
- Torres then delivered a bases-clearing double to put the Tars out front, 3-0.
- Jeslyn Whitehead made it 4-0 with a base hit to score Torres
Third Inning
- Sullivan knocked in Lala to get Tampa on the board in the third, but Alintoff limited the damage, keeping the Tars comfortably ahead, 4-1.
Sixth Inning
- Herron and Rubin got a rally going in the sixth with consecutive singles, and both runners moved up on a wild pitch with two outs.
- Torres then struck out, but the third strike got past the catcher and he was able to reach first base safely, while Herron scampered home on the play to make it 5-1.
- Jeslyn Whitehead then reached on an infield single, scoring Rubin with the Tars' sixth run of the game, increasing the lead to 6-1.
Seventh Inning
- Herron crushed a two-out, two-run home run in the seventh to build the advantage to 8-1.
Eighth Inning
- The Spartans got a run back in the eighth, but Austin Long came on to get the final out of the inning, stranding the bases loaded.
- Rollins added a few insurance runs in the eighth, sending 10 batters to the plate despite only recording two hits in the frame.
- Jeslyn Whitehead started things with a one-out single, which was followed by a walk to Nick Santucci and an intentional walk to Parker Smith, loading the bases.
- A balk then pushed Whitehead across the plate to make it 9-2.
- Coleman then grounded to second but reached on an error, which also allowed pinch runner Drew Howard to score, pushing the lead to 10-2.
- Cameron Meehan followed with a grounder to shortstop, which was also misplayed; the error allowed him to reach, loading the bases once again.
- After a flyout, Smith scored and the other two runners moved up on a wild pitch, making it 11-2.
- Rubin then poked a single through the left side, scoring Meehan and pinch runner Kyle Bullock to lift the score to 13-2.
Ninth Inning
- Tampa plated four runs in the ninth, but it didn't make much of a difference to the final outcome, as Rollins captured the super regional with a 13-6 win.
UP NEXT:
As champions of the South Region, the Tars have earned a trip to the NCAA II College World Series, which will take place in Cary, North Carolina from June 4-11. More details regarding game dates and times as well as opponents will be announced once the remaining super regionals wrap up this weekend.
Fans can follow the Tars all season long at RollinsSports.com. Fans can also stay up-to-date on the latest #TARnation news by following Rollins Sports on
Facebook,
Twitter, and
Instagram.
